Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1887-06-03
JOHN, LOVE YOU WITH MY WHOLE HEART.

JOHN, LOVE YOU WITH MY WHOLE HEART.
"Baas Franks black horse" he muttered to
himself. "The black horse has a cracked
heel and one foot hits the ground more softly
than the others. What is Baas Frank COM
ing here forl After missile Bessie, | think
| he would be mad if he knew that missile went
down to the plantation with Baas Mel Just
now. People go into plantations to kiss each
other (Jantie was not far out there, and it
would make Baas Frank mad if he knew
that He would strike me if / told him, or
would tell him."
| The horses hoofs were getting near by
now, SO jamie slipped as easily and naturally
as a snake into a thick tuft of rank grass
that grew between the blue gums and waited
Presently the big horse approached, and
the snake like Hottentos raised his head ever
so little and peered out with his beady black
eyes through the straw like grass STEMS
They fell on Mullers cold face 1t was evil
dent that he was in reflective mood-in an
angrily reflective mood.
"What is Baas Frank thinking of, won
derf' said Jamie to himself as horse and man
passed within four feet of him. Then rising
he crossed the road, and slipping round by
a back way like fox from a covert, was
standing at the stable door with vacant and
utterly unobservant expression of face some
seconds before the black horse and its rider
had reached the house.
81 will give them one more chance, Just
one more" thought the handsome Boer or
rather half breed for it will be remembered
that his mother was Engish "and if they
won't take it, then let their fate be upon
their own heads. Tomorrow | go to the
bymakaar at Paarde kraal to take counsel
with Paul Kruger and Pretorius, and the
other fathers of the land. as they call them
selves. If throw in my weight against
bellion there will be no rebellion; if | urge it
there will be. and if ON Silas will not give
me Bessie, and Bessie will not marry me,
will urge it even if it plunge the whole
country in war from the Cape to Waterberg
Patriotism Independence Taxes!-that is
what they all cry till they begin to believe it
themselves. BAH those are not the things
would go to war for; but ambition and re-
venge, ahl that is another thing l would
kill them all if they stood in my way, all ex-
cept Bessie. If war breaks out, who will
hold up hand to help the 'vertlomde Engels-
mannF They would all be afraid. And it
is not my fault. Can help it if love that
woman! l would slaughter every English
man in the Transvaal to gain Bessie-ay
and every Boer, too, and throw all the ma
tives i'm and he laughed aloud and struck
the great black horse making it plunge and
caper gallantly.
"And then" he went on, giving his am
bition wing, when | have got Bessie, and
we have kicked all these Englishmen out of
the land, in a very few years l shall rule this
country and what nexts Why, then | will
stir up the Dutch feeling in Natal and in the
old colony, and we will push the Englishmen
back into the sea, make clean sweep of the
natives, only keeping enough for servants
and have a united South Africa, like that
poor silly man Burgers used to pirate of, but
did not know now to bring about. A united
Dutch South Africa. and Frank Muller to
rule i'll Well, such things have been, and
may be again. Give me forty years of life
and strength and we shall see
Just then he reached the veranda of the
house, and, disaissing his secret ambitions
from his mind Frank Muller dismounted and
entered. In the sitting room he found Silas
Croft reading newspaper
Good day, ON Silas," he said, extending
his hand.
"Good day, Meinheer Frank Muller" re-
piled the old man, coldly, for John had told
him of the incident at the shooting party
which had so nearly ended fatally, and
though he had made no remark he had
formed his own conclusions
what are you reading in The Volkstem,
ON Silas-about the Bezuidenhout affairw
"No; what was thatl'
ut was that the volk are rising against Won
English that is all The sheriff seized Be
zuidenhout's wagon in execution of taxes, and
put it up to sale at Potchefstroom. But the
volk kicked the auctioneer off the wagon and
hunted him round the town; and now Cover
nor Lanyon is sending Raaf down with power
to swear in special constables and enforce the
law at Pochefstroom He might as well try
to stop river by throwing stones Let me
see, the big meeting at Paarde Kraal was to
have been on the fifteenth of December, now
it is to be on the eighth, and then we shall see
if it will be peace or war"
"Peace or warp answered the old man,
testify. "That has been the cry for years.
How many big meetings have there been
since Shepstone annexed the courtryl S,x
think And what has come of it alls Just
nothing but talk. And what can come of it,
Suppose the Beers did fight what would the
end of it be' They would be beaten, and a
lot of people would be killed, and that would
be the end of it. You don't suppose that
England would give into handful Of Beers,
do you' What did Gen. Wolseley say the
other day at the dinner at Potchefstrooml
Why, that the country would never be given
up, because no government, Conservative,
Liberal or Radical would dare to do such
thing. And now this new Gladstone govern
ment has telegraphed the same thing, so what
is the use Of all the talk and cbildishness9 Tell
me that Frank Muller"
Muller laughed as he answered, "You are
all very simple people, you English. Don't
you know that government is like q woman
who cries No, no, no. and kisses you all the
time7 If there is noise enough, your British
government will eat its words and give
Wolseley and Shepstone and Bartle Frere
and Lanyon, and all of them, the lie. This is
bigger business than you think for, ON
Silns. or course all these meetings and talk
are got up The people are angry because Of
the Eneli-h way of dealing with the natives,
and because they have to pay taxes; aud they
thinl. that now that you English have paid
their debts and smashed up Sikukuni and
Cetewayo, they would like 10 have the land
back. They were glad enough for you TO take